The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
352: How to Niche with No Website with Shannon Crow
Shannon Crow continues the theme of Niche November by tackling a question many yoga teachers have struggled with - how do you niche down and specialize without a website?
In this episode, Shannon answers a question from a podcast listener and community member, Amy who has been trying to niche down for the past three years. Shannon does some sleuthing to uncover Amy’s niche and shares some tips about establishing a niche in your yoga business. Shannon also gives some advice on content ideas, why trying out a niche for a whole month is a good start, and where to market yourself if you don’t have a website!
Tune in for some valuable tips if you have been thinking about niching down and specializing in your yoga business but have been putting it off because you don’t know how to do it without a website!
[4:03] This episode is all about how to niche down and specialize without having a website. She shares a question from a podcast listener, Amy.
[7:48] Shannon shares that she tried to discover Amy's niche by looking on Google and checking out her social media pages, and discovered something interesting.
[11:35] If you don't have a website, you should be marketing where your ideal clients are hanging out. Shannon shares some tips on what kind of content to post.
[14:59] Shannon pops in with a reminder that if you're looking for an easy way to create a website for your yoga business, you should check out OfferingTree.
[16:29] Whatever platform you're choosing to market your niche on, try it out consistently for a month, at least!
[20:46] Shannon shares some details about where you can hang out with her in real time and a short personal update.
The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast Episode 345: Try a Month of This Niche with Shannon Crow
Yoga for Pelvic Cancer: 6-Week Online Series with Tyla Arnason (she/her)
The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast Episode 273: Yoga is a Revolution with Jivana Heyman
Gratitude to our Sponsors, OfferingTree and Pelvic Health Professionals.
"Do not feel like you're going to get to this place where, ok, all of the niche work is done."
"You do not need a website to start niching down and specializing."
"It is going to feel repetitive. I know it is. I know it so well. But trust me, there are so many ways to talk about [your niche] that if you're already excited to do it, you'll be able to continue it past the month."
The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
351: Water Yoga with Christa Fairbrother
Water yoga (or aqua yoga) may not be widely known but it is a unique variation of yoga that has some amazing benefits. Christa Fairbrother shares her expertise on this uncommon variety of yoga.
Christa is an internationally recognized aqua yoga coach and trainer who makes yoga accessible through yoga in the water. She is passionate about helping people start an aqua yoga practice and she trains movement professionals to offer aqua yoga in their communities. Christa is also an internationally recognized expert in water yoga and published author of Water Yoga.
In this episode, Christa explains what exactly water yoga is and how it differs from traditional yoga that is done on land. She also talks about the science of immersion in water and the additional or different benefits that water yoga offers. Christa shares more about how water yoga can be a more accessible form of yoga for many people, especially those who deal with pain or are concerned about their strength.
Dive into this interesting conversation to learn more about water yoga and how we can support people through different mediums to get the benefits of yoga.
[3:42] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Christa Fairbrother.
[6:56] What does Christa do and who does she do it for?
[9:16] What got Christa started in teaching water yoga?
[11:14] What are some common questions people have about water yoga?
[12:36] Was there ever a moment when Christa felt hesitant or unsure about her niche in water yoga?
[14:47] What are the benefits of doing yoga in the water?
[18:53] What are some things people can try if they don't have an aqua yoga class in their community but they have access to a pool?
[21:06] Shannon pops in to share a conversation she had with Sara Villamil who uses OfferingTree in her yoga business.
[23:30] Where can yoga teachers learn more about teaching aqua yoga?
[25:41] What are some things that hold people back from attending water yoga classes?
[27:56] Christa highlights some of the benefits people find from doing yoga in the water.
[30:12] Christa shares a bit more about how she teaches and the tranings and courses she offers.
[31:40] Do you need to know how to swim to teach aqua yoga or be trained as a lifeguard?
[33:35] Christa often works with yoga teachers where there is nobody else doing aqua yoga in their communities. How has she tackled the challenge of marketing and growing her own classes in a community that doesn't know about aqua yoga?
[35:18] Where can you get in touch with Christa and learn more about her work?
[38:06] Shannon shares her biggest takeaways from this interview with Christa.
Waterproof Guides & Other Resources for Water Yoga by Christa Fairbrother
Six Week Series with Tyla Arnason Pelvic cancer
Gratitude to our Sponsors, OfferingTree and Pelvic Health Professionals.
"A lot of people who live with chronic pain or with arthritis, their joints are uncomfortable and the fact that you suddenly don't weigh as much, literally takes a load off."
"Whatever poses you like, try those first."
"The barrier is fear of the water and it's really important to acknowledge that because not a lot of people had swimming lessons, they might have had a traumatic experience even if they got swim lessons."
"They're building so much body awareness, so much balance."
The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
350: Yoga for Autism & Special Needs with Shawnee Thornton Hardy
Autism spectrum disorder affects about 1 in 100 children globally yet there is still a lot of misconception and misunderstanding about people with autism and other special needs. Shawnee Thornton Hardy shares more about how yoga can support people in this community.
Shawnee is the Founder of Asanas for Autism and Special Needs and the Founder/Director of Yoga Therapy for Youth Certification Program. She has worked with children and adults with autism and individuals with diverse needs for almost 3 decades, specializing in working with children and adults with significant cognitive and language delays, sensory processing challenges, significant behavior challenges and trauma histories. Her goal is to bring the experience of yoga and somatic practices to all individuals no matter their differences or challenges. Shawnee is also a published author – and will be giving away three copies of her book!
In this episode, Shawnee shares more about the children and teenagers that she works with, what their challenges may be, and how yoga can help. She explains some yoga practices that can help with anger and anxiety and how to bring calm when a class or student has high energy. Shawnee also highlights why it’s so important to treat each child as an individual and to let go of our preconceived ideas about them or their special needs label.
[3:40] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Shawnee Thornton Hardy
[7:12] What does Shawnee do and who does she do it for?
[9:01] What inspired Shawnee to do this work?
[10:33] What are some of the labels that get placed on children Shawnee works with?
[14:15] What are some basic things a teacher who encounters a young person with complex needs in their class should know?
[17:33] What trainings does Shawnee recommend for a yoga teacher who is starting out on this journey of supporting someone with special needs?
[20:37] What are some of the benefits of yoga for young people in this community? Shawnee shares some anecdotes from her experience.
[25:35] Shannon and Shawnee discuss how useful it is even for adults to be able to practice self-awareness.
[28:35] Many adults today have grown up in environments where we were encouraged not to express our negative feelings like anger or sadness.
[29:50] Shannon gives a shout out of thanks to sponsor, OfferingTree.
[31:38] What are some practices that can help for children who are feeling a lot of anxiety or worry?
[34:14] What does Shawnee do when chaos breaks out in her classes?
[37:16] What is something that Shawnee wishes yoga teachers who are supporting children with complex needs knew earlier?
[42:02] Shannon and Shawnee discuss the importance of caring for each child as an individual and not assuming that we know everything about them because we know their diagnosis.
[45:25] Shawnee is giving away three books! Shannon shares the details of the giveaway.
[46:14] How did Shawnee end up writing her books?
[49:41] Shawnee reflects on how important leaning into celebration and joy is, and how that is part of her inner child work.
[56:26] Shannon shares some of her biggest takeaways from this conversation with Shawnee.
Yoga Therapy for Children and Teens with Complex Needs by Shawnee Thornton Hardy
Yoga for Autism and Special Needs Teacher Training by Shawnee Thornton Hardy
Gratitude to our Sponsors, OfferingTree and Pelvic Health Professionals.
"[Labels] can be helpful to understand a diagnosis that a child or teen may have because we can have a sense of what some of their challenges or complications may be. But then once we know the label, we go deeper beneath and just look at that child or teen as just a human being and get to know their specific not only challenges but also strengths and their individual ways of navigating the world."
"How can we ground ourselves in the sense of helping this individual child or human, whoever is in front of us, feel a sense of belonging?"
"When we have kids that are in a dysregulated state, they're not in a learning space."
The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
349: Yoga Niche Success Story with Christine Jaureguiberry
Niching down is a tried-and-tested method to grow your yoga business while allowing you to focus only on the things you love sharing. A guest from almost 5 years ago is back on the podcast to share her success story with niching down.
Christine Jaureguiberry specializes in teaching Yoga for those who live with Scoliosis. She is the founder of Move with Scoliosis, born from her love of yoga and her own personal journey with living with scoliosis. Apart from her Shine membership, a support community with yoga and pilates practices for those living with scoliosis, Christine also offers workshops for yoga teachers who would like to support their students with scoliosis and/or spinal fusion. She also has a thriving YouTube following and is in the process of writing a book.
In this episode, Christine shares an update about her business since the previous episode. She explains where she is in her business now and how she has grown her yoga business by focusing on her niche. She talks about running a niche membership, how she grew her YouTube channel to over 30,000 subscribers, as well as the roadblocks and challenges she had to overcome in order to get there.
[3:04] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Christine Jaureguiberry.
[6:49] What does Christine do and who does she do it for?
[7:55] Alongside her YouTube channel and a book she is writing, Christine also has a membership offering.
[9:47] What kind of struggle was Christine experiencing in 2017 that made her decide she needed to niche down?
[13:26] What were some of the challenges Christine had in niching down?
[16:10] Why is Christine still looking at ways to let more things go, even though she has picked her niche?
[20:33] It's a common misconception that when you niche down, you have to immediately let go of everything that isn't within that niche.
[20:59] Shannon pops in with a quick note about creating and hosting a membership site, which you can easily do on OfferingTree!
[22:40] Does Christine now feel like an expert in movement for scoliosis?
[26:29] We can't predict how our interests and inclinations may change or what our niche may be in a few years from now!
[27:52] Sometimes we need a little external help to get started on our niche journey, and sometimes we just need to do one small thing at a time.
[29:58] What are some roadblock that have come up for Christine as she navigates refining her niche?
[32:12] What does Christine do in those tough times?
[33:53] Christine has gotten help from her Virtual Assistant in her business.
[37:18] Christine recognizes that she has different interests and may get pulled in different directions along the way, but she has found a way to harness that energy in her niche.
[39:34] What advice would Christine offer a yoga teacher who is just starting out?
[44:06] What are the benefits Christine sees in her yoga business now that she has really established her niche well?
[46:34] How has Christine shifted her marketing efforts now that she has refined her niche?
[48:54] Christine has also added Pilates to her offerings, even as she niched down in who she wants to serve.
[52:30] Christine shares some of the ways you can connect with her.
[53:48] Shannon shares her biggest takeaways from this conversation with Christine.
Previous Episodes about Niching Down
343: Niche Yoga Marketing with Sarah Karsten [Consultation Call]
324: Niches & Yoga Business Chat with Sunita Patil & Shannon Crow
255: Creating a Niche Online Course with Laura Fowler Massie
097: Focusing In On Your Niche [Consultation Call] with Susan Hopkinson
Elizabeth Gilbert: Don't Chase Your Passion And Maybe You'll Find It (Hummingbird Talk)
The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast Episode 347: Yoga in the Cancer Community with Tyla Arnason
Gratitude to our Sponsors, OfferingTree and Pelvic Health Professionals.
"One of them was as a yoga teacher to let people down. I think that was kind of a big thing... they really need me, what's going to happen if I don't teach that class? And there was a huge resistance around this." - Christine
"Niche work doesn't end." - Shannon
"Another one of my challenges was to fully commit to this work that I was doing because ... I have got many interests and there's lots of different projects that excite me." - Christine
"It's just a process that you have to kind of go through over and over again and think of all the things that you do and what is it that you actually want to do?" - Christine
"Sometimes the things don't happen obviously overnight and maybe not as quickly as we want them to happen. So we do have to stick with it, which I think is really hard, which is difficult at times." - Christine
"If you commit to that journey and stay consistent with it, you will get there, you will get somewhere." - Christine